Took me a few minutes to understand that phrase. Once I did, I was inspired. Janette Oke deserves all the credit. I heard it while watching the Netflix series, “When Calls the Heart,” based on her novels.
A young boy in this series, named Cody, said it to his teacher who was bullying another student. The teacher wanted the other student to hold her pencil correctly, so he kept ripping it out of her hands (when she continuously held it the way that worked for her) and snapping it in half. Pencil after pencil after pencil. Cody was infuriated! He mustered up the courage to stop the teacher, he walked right up to him, put his hand out for the young girl to join him, and they left the classroom together! All of the students stood up, in the middle of a test, and followed Cody out. These students (a.k.a. “good people”) stopped the bad thing from happening!
Can you imagine what this world would be like if we stood up for each other this way? Instead of being afraid to be bold, from fear of not being accepted, we do SOMETHING.
Intervene, follow your gut, take risks, know that doing NOTHING will always result in bad things happening.
This idea was driven home while I was reading “Do Hard Things,” by Alex & Brett Harris. Their advice is as follows: fight the natural/easy road, battle discouragement and complacency, do more than what is required, get over your fear of failure, do not compare your achievements to others, the smallest things are usually the hardest – integrity, devotion, and embracing trials. Lastly, they recommend living your best life by leaving nothing untried – you get stronger even when you fail.
I believe that only great things can happen if we choose to go against the norm. Choose to NOT do nothing. Choose to do the hard things, with the gravel filling our shoes, instead of taking the easy, boring paved road. In choosing this route, we will be fulfilled. Our lives will matter. We will find purpose.
Overcoming Obstacles 